The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1887-08-04
A SAUNTER IN GERMANY.
THRIFTY YSAXONS SMAKETHE MOST
OF THEIR SMALL FARMS.
A Peep at the Old Castles and at the |
Rare Beauties OF nature Seen in that |
Part of the World.

A Peep at the Old Castles and at the
Rare Beauties OF ~ature rs Seen in tina
Part of the World.
Especial Cor STATE CHRONICLE
CHEMNITz, SAxoNY, July 1s, 1897 =
The days work was at length ended; and
We-my brother and l-determned to lose
no time in escaping from the parched,
sooty atmosphere of the busy manufacture
ing town of Chemnitz, with no other OBJ
ject in view than TO get where we could
breathe pure air and sweet perfumes and
see around lis neat little fields of wheat
and barley over which the sportive breeze
played unit the nodding heads of corn
seemed like ripple, on a sea of green,
loitered indolently out through several
suburban villages
On either side of the hard, stone -bedded
road small fields of rank clover or cereals
greeted US with their fresh foliage; while,
here aud there, our attention was attract
ed by a group of rudely dressed peasant
women IN a potato patch, beating the we'll
cultivated earth to powder with their hoes
Agriculture, with US, is a very different
thing from what it is in densely pOpulat-
ed country like Saxony. With us, too of
ten, huge clods of clay are left to bake
INTO something about as fertile as rock
but here, where the fields are very small
ala every inch of ground is expected to
b EAR its grain of corn, no kitchen garden
of ours is more conscientiousy cultivated
than the plot upon the produce of which
he comfort and the existence, almost, Of
the Saxon farmer depends.
The country through which our road led
was of a beautiful rolling character, hills
from two 10 tour hundred feet in height
rlSIng III every direction in the utmost con
fusion. In the valleys between these hills
lay picturesque doris or villages, each with
Its quaint little Gothic church. Daisies,
hutttrcdim, ,-olets as large as pansies,
pretty little forget -me-nots as blue as the
sky, rich, red bell shaped flowers and a
score OF others lent such enchantment to
our stroll that We forgot the miles until to
our surprise we saw III the distance the
red caves Of LichtenWaide, the seat of an
ancient family OF Saxon counts. Suddenly
Inspired with an object, we FASTENED for
ward beneath the shade of an avenue of
magnificent linden and horse chestnut
trees. Passing through a strass.iaa vii
lase We ti..ally fo.ul ourselves III a mar
row lane leading up to the old schloss or
castle. pa one side Of this lane stood a
modest i'm known as the ''Restauration
LIchteI Walde. and here we seated our
selves, warm from our five mile walk. Was
the nectar Of the gods ever more delicious
than the fresh creamy milk which the
smiling landlord placed before US? | think
not. And was Jove's ambrosia ever so
palatable as the cold meat and rye bread
of which we speedily cleared our plates2
| cannot believe it,
Half al hour later we had entered the
castle grounds and were walking down
the beautiful linden alice which is the
pride of the place. But why attempt to
describe in brief newspaper article the
bewilderiug labyrinth Of shady walks open
ing out upon extensive views of the dis
tant hills or of the placid rivulet in the
valley below: One vista of beauty led US
to another. Here, in a wild, romantic spot
a marble faun greeted US, or a stone cen
taur, bound with grape vines, seemed to
embody the strange influences of the pla e.
Here in the very penetralia of the forest,
We suddenly stood at the margin of a
small stagnant pond completely shaded
by the dense, overarching branches of a
score or more huge horse Chestnut trees,
that gave a clammy dampness to the place
which could not fail to make one think of
murders foul and terrible which may have
been committed here Over the wall,
which caps the hillside near by, an Old
knight, in full armor, is said to have rid
den at gallop into the abyss
Such as | have family described it is
Lichtenwalde, whose master, the last of his
line, lives far away in st. Petersburg, in the
diplomatic service of the fatherland.